10 Ways Medium to Small Businesses can Jump Into Global Operation

Chicago, IL — May 05, 2014 / (http://www.myprgenie.com) — When running a small to medium sized business, in a market dominated by large players, you must leap forward and expand into a global level. By going global more doors are opened for your business and it presents your company with new opportunities. Your business does not need to have headquarters around the world in order to find success internationally, but you will need the right resources and alliances to attract the attention of a global market. There are many ways for your business to grow on a global level so you can compete with larger sized businesses. Mohammed Hajjar, President and Founding Partner of Pronited, a unique professional network to connect business with other business and that provides a growth platform, shares ten ways for small and medium enterprises to work on a global level.

1. Build an eCommerce sales channel.

By building an eCommerce sales channel where you promote your services online, you can easily market to international clients and use search engine optimization to make sure that your business will be found online. Fortunately when you have an eCommerce business you will also be able to market through email marketing, ads, social media, and even affiliate networks. All of these marketing tactics will help you market to clients worldwide.

2. Work with a prestigious global organization.

It’s difficult to venture into the global market as a small or medium enterprise when you know you’ll have to compete with larger enterprises that have been in the business for much longer and have a powerful reputation. How do you compete when these businesses have so many more resources than your company? The solution is to join a global tribe like Pronited, which is a network and alliance of small to medium sized professional services firms such as law firms, management consulting firms, financial services, etc. Pronited enables its members to grow through exclusive tools and deals and by offering them a place to share credentials, knowledge, training, and business opportunities. Your business will gain credibility from being part of an established and prestigious global organization so that you can serve bigger clients with international operations. Think of Pronited as an extension to your business with a mandate to enable you to grow further and expand.

3. Cross-promote with other businesses.

Cross-promotion is an effective marketing strategy that is possible through partnership with another business with a similar target market. By working together, both businesses are able to leverage the other’s credibility and success with clients to promote their own businesses. By using cross-promotion, you are able to widen your market reach to an international level and the best part is that both companies benefit from this partnership. For example, a company in Spain that represents manufacturers of olive oil & wine is seeking the help of a Pronited law firm member in Brazil to connect with Brazilian importers. Cross-promotion is very powerful provided you have the right people to handle it and the platform to create synergy.

4. Diversify your business.

When you are a professional services business you need to stand out from the rest of the businesses in your industry. One way to do this is to add on more services, sell complementary products, and offer your clients more value. Not only will your business be seen as the go-to business in your industry, this will also allow you to receive income from different areas. Broadening your services will also help you to broaden your market.

5. Target and serve one large client.

It might feel intimidating at first to go after that one large corporate client you would love to work with, but it’s probably not as bad as you think. A larger corporation will have a bigger budget and they probably have a greater need for outsourcing professional services. With a larger client comes larger sales and you can then use this as a springboard for finding other large clients willing to hire you for your services.

6. Become an industry expert.

Another way to gain credibility to be able to compete in the global market is to become recognized as an expert in your industry. Easier said than done, but with years of education and experience and a passion to continue learning and keeping up with trends, you can become an expert in your field. You can keep up to date by following the top blogs in your field and also attending conferences and networking events. Another good idea is to start your own blog writing articles that provide tips and resources so more people will see you as a go-to expert.

7. Expand your target market.

Your current target market is probably working out well for your business, but you can always expand your market. Start by listing your current target market and see where you can expand from there. Consider the places where these people tend to live, work, go to school, and what other associations they may be involved in. Find out how you can then expand your services to these places. Get creative with it because you may find a new audience somewhere you never would have imagined.

8. Have a strong online presence.

You won’t have an easy time of getting your foot in the door of the global market if you don’t have a strong online presence. The first step is to build a website that is SEO optimized so that it can easily be found through search engines when people search for keywords related to your business. The next step may be to build social media profiles on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and more. You can customize your profiles, follow people in your target market, and interact with your followers and clients. For most small and medium size businesses this is a challenge because they don’t have time nor have experience with it. Nowadays, such tasks should not be a burden since they can be outsourced to qualified organizations who can handle full activity.

9. Have excellent customer service

For any business to be able to succeed you must think of your clients and customers and establish a rapport with them. Obtain feedback from your clients and ask them how you can improve your services. After that you must follow through and actually show your clients what changes you have made to your company based on the feedback you have received. Having exceptional customer service will help grow your credibility. Address any and all feedback that is shared publicly as well; even if it’s negative, respond positively and offer assistance to remedy the issue.

10. Hold special promotions

Every business should hold special promotions from time to time because this is a very effective marketing strategy. Offer discounts to new clients who sign up for your services and even consider establishing a referral program to reward those who help you by referring new clients. Maybe those who refer clients from other countries or places where you have not yet employed your services can receive bigger and better discounts and promotions to use in the future. This will also entice more people to sign up for your services.

For more information on Pronited and to become part of the global tribe, visit www.pronited.com